Cosmetic container



AprilZO, 1943. F. R. REUTTER 2,317,087

COSMETI G CONTAINER Fi1ed.July 51, 1940 Fi .2. H 3. Fi .4.

INVENTOR Frederick R.Reu tier.

A TORNEY Patented Apr. 20, 1943 COSMETIC CONTAINER Frederick R. Reutter, Waterbury,

to Scovill Conn assignor Manufacturing Company, Waterbury, Conn, a corporation of Connecticut Application July 31, 1940, Serial No. 348,663

9 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in containers and particularly to one for holding cosmetic materials such as lipsticks, eyebrow pencils, shaving soaps and the like, wherein a carrier cup supports the material within the container and is operated to and fro therein by a thumb piece projecting through a slot in the wall of the container.

One object of this invention is to provide a container in which the slot is so formed as to coact with the operating member or thumb piece of the carrier cup whereby said carrier cup may be held in a projected position at the open end of the container or at one or more intermediate positions within said container.

A further object is to provide a container of the above natur in which the entrance end of the longitudinal slot is provided with a means to preclude one container cobbing or entering within another in the bulk handling of the same during the various operations to which the container is subjected in the manufacture of the article.

The full nature of this invention along with other objects and various advantages thereof will be more apparent from a consideration of the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a container body shell.

Figure 2 is a similar View of the fragment upper part of the shell showing the carrier cup associated therewith in a projected position.

Figure 3 is a side view of the same.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 1 and showing a fragmentary portion of another shell in opposed position, illustrating how one shell is precluded from cobbing within each other by reason of a special shaped entrance slot.

Figure 5 shows two container shells having an old type slot and illustrates how one shell could cobb within the other and Figure 6 shows an elevational view of a modified form of the container shell wherein a series of off-set portions are provided within the path of the longitudinal slot.

Referring now to the drawing wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, numeral Ill indicates a tubular body shell such as used for the so-called push type lipstick container, having a knurled bead II adjacent its base end to assist as a gripping means for the container. Disposed in spaced relation and slightly above the bead II is a smooth bead I2 which may serv conveniently as a stop for a cover, not shown, designed to be slipped over the top of said container shell ID to close the same. A carrier cup I3 is disposed within the container shell I0 and is adapted to slide to and fro therein by means of an operating member I4 secured thereto and projecting through a longitudinal slot I5 provided in the body shell I0. Specifically this operating member may be a pin threaded or riveted into the side wall of the cup I I3 and provided with an enlarged head I6, disposed on the outside of the shell I0 Where it may be engaged conveniently by the thumb of the operator.

It is common practice in making these containers'to provide an entrance to the longitudinal slot l5 of a narrower dimension than said slot and such entrance will hereinafter be referred to as a narrow throat and indicated by the numeral I! in the several views.

The gist of this invention resides particularly in the manner in which the narrow entrance throat I! is formed. In this case one side of the entrance throat is provided with an angular cut-out recess I8 while the opposite side of said throat is formed with a correspondingly shaped projection I9 disposed in spaced relation to said recess and providing an off-set V shaped pathway 28 at an intermediate portion of said narrow throat IT. It is to be noted here that the projection I9 is disposed crosswise of the nor mal straight pathway of the slot I5, the reasons and advantages of which will be explained later.

In operating a lipstick embodying the above invention, if it is desired to retain the carrier cup I3 in elevated or projected position, it is only necessary to move the carrier cup upwardly to a position where its operating pin I4 is disposed at the apex of the V shaped recess I8 in the abrupt bend of the pathway 20 in a manner as shown in Figures 2 and 3. The transverse width of the V shaped pathway 20 is preferably slightly less than the diameter of the operating pin I4. The fact that the walls of the shell I0 is split clear through to the open end by reason of the narrow throat H, the open end of the container shell I 0 will spring sufficiently to allow the pin I 4 to pass through said narrow throat I? into the wider longitudinal slot I 5 where it may operate with entire freedom. When the operating member I4 is disposed at the apex of the recess I8, the pointed end of the projection I9 will bear against said member I4 with sufiicient force to holdit confined in said recess I8 and retain the carrier cup I3 in its elevated position while the lipstick is being applied without the necessity of the operator having to hold the thumb engaging head I6.

It is to be noted that by reason of this paricular V shaped pathway 20 the projection I9 intercepts and is disposed crosswise of the normal straight pathway of the narrow throat Ila leading into a larger longitudinal slot Ilia such as shown in the old form shell Ilia of Figure 5.

By reason of this particular construction it will be impossible for shells when handled in bulk to cobb or become interfitted one within the other during any of the manufacturing operations. During the manufacturing of the conventional type of container shell, when handled in bulk, there was always the tendency for one shell to cobb within the other in a manner as shown in Figure 5, which was a serious detriment particularly to the cleaning and finishing operations and also required an extra amount of precaution and inspection of the product when handled in bulk production to see that all the shells were in a separated state before any of the several manufacturing operations were started. By this new slot, as shown in Figure 4, the open end of any one shell is not allowed to enter in an opposed manner into another shell any further than the point where the open end of one shell would abut the outer edge of the projection IQ of the other shell in the pathway 20 as shown in Figure 4.

In Figure 6- there is shown a modified form wherein two oif-set V shaped pathways 20a and 20b may be provided within the longitudinal slot [51) of the shell lflb, the slot 28a being at the entrance end of the slot i511 and the slot 20b being about half-way the length thereof. While there are only two V shaped pathways Zea and 2% shown in the longitudinal slot 15b of the modified form, it is within the purview of this invention to increase the number of off-set pathways to any desired number, thus allowing for a more graduated positioning of the carrier cup within the container shell lflb. In th s modified form the operator, when starting out with a fresh lipstick, would operate the pin of the carrier cup in the lower part of the slot lb up to and engage in the off-set pathway 2% until the stick is exhausted substantially down to the edge of the body shell Ilia. The off-set pathway 2% may then be employed as a stop for the operating pin and operate the carrier cup [3 in the upper part of the container shell until the lipstick is exhausted.

While two forms of the invention are herein shown and described, it is to be understood that the construction may be varied as to mechanical details without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of what is claimed.

I claim:

1. In a cosmetic container, the combination of a container body having a longitudinal slot and an open end, a carrier movable to and fro in said body, an operating member on the cup extending through said slot, and means disposed crosswise of said slot and forming one edge of an angular V shaped slot conjoined with said longitudinal slot, the apex of said V shaped slot adapted to receive said operating member and retain said carrier cup in a set position. within said body.

2. In a cosmetic container, the combination of a container body having a longitudinal slot extending substantially the length of the body and opening from the body through a narrow throat, a carrier cup movable to and fro in said body, an operating member on the cup extending through said slot, and an angular oif-set pathway arranged transversely of and forming a part of said narrow throat and adapted to receive said operating member and retain said. carrier cup in a set position within said body.

3. In a cosmetic container, the combination of a container body having an open end and a longitudinal slot extending substantially the length of the body through the open end thereof, a carrier cup movable to and fro in said body, an operating member on the cup extending through said slot, and means disposed crosswise of said slot adjacent its open end and forming one edge of an angular V shaped slot conjoined with said longitudinal slot, the apex of said V shaped slot adapted to receive said operating member and retain said carrier cup in a set position within said body.

4. In a cosmetic container, the combination of a container body having an open end and a 10mgitudinal slot extending substantially the length of the body through the open end thereof, a, carrier cup movable to and fro in said body, an operating member on the cup extending through said slot, and a series of spaced off-set V shaped relatively narrower slots disposed in the pathway and transversely of said longitudinal slot and cooperating with said operating member to retain said carrier cup in any one of several positions.

5. As an article of manufacture, a body shell for a container having an open end and a longitudinal slot extending through the open end thereof, and means disposed adjacent the open end and extending from one edge of said slot and traversing substantially the entire normal width of said slot to preclude the cobbing or entrance of like articles within each other in the bulk handling of the same.

6. As an article of manufacture, a body shell for a container having an open end and a longitudinal slot extending through the open end thereof, lug means projecting from one edge of said slot adjacent the open end thereof and forming one edge of a V shaped pathway ofiset from the normal stralght pathway of said slot and serving to preclude the cobbing or entrance of like articles within each other in the bulk handling of the same.

7. As an article of manufacture, a body shell for a container having a longitudinal slot and opening from the shell through a narrow throat, and means disposed crosswise of said throat and forming one edge of an angular V shaped slot conjoined with said longitudinal slot and designed to preclude the cobbing or entrance of like articles within each other in the bulk handling of the same.

8. As an article of manufacture, a body shell for a container having an open end and a longitudinal slot extending through the open end thereof, a lug projecting substantially across the width of the open end of said longitudinal slot from one edge thereof, and the oppositie edge of said slot having a complementary recess spaced from and diametrically opposite of said lug.

9. In a cosmetic container, the combination of a container body having a longitudinal slot extending substantially the length of the body and opening from the body through a relatively narrower throat, a carrier cup movable to and fro in said body, an operating member secured to said cup, extending through said slot and comprising an enlarged head and a reduced neck portion, and an angular off-set pathway arranged transversely and at intermediate part of said narrower throat, the width of said narrower throat and off-set pathway being slightly less than the cross dimension of said operating member neck portion whereby necessitating the springing the upper portion of the container body and causing the operating member to be snapped into registry with the apex of said angular pathway as a positive stop for the carrier cup.

FREDERICK R. REUT'I'ER. 

